It is known in the automobile industry to use sun visors that are pivoted on a vehicle headliner at the upper margin of a vehicle windshield. Typically, the visor includes a visor body that is molded or formed from structural material such as polymer or fiberboard. A lighted vanity mirror located on one side of the visor can be moved to an operative position for the convenience of a vehicle passenger by tilting the visor about a pivotal axis at the vehicle headliner. A wiring harness or other electric circuit structure is formed in the visor for the purpose of illuminating visor lamps. Usually the lamps are located at each lateral side of the mirror.
The wiring circuit for the lamps extends through the interior of the visor and through a mounting bar for the visor. The mounting bar in turn is secured to the headliner. A vanity door or lid typically covers the vanity mirror when the mirror is not in use. The door is pivoted on the visor at the upper margin of the mirror. When the mirror is in a generally vertical position, a mechanical switch is activated upon movement of the door, thereby illuminating the lamps on the lateral sides of the mirror.
Examples of prior art constructions of this type may be seen by referring to U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,203,623, 5,117,337, and 4,760,503. An example of a prior art switch for activating and deactivating a lamp circuit for a lighted automotive vanity mirror is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,618. The switch disclosed in the '618 patent comprises a ball contact member, which rolls under the force of gravity from an inoperative position to an operative position when the mirror assumes a vertical disposition. The ball contact member thus contacts electrical circuit terminals for the vanity lights.
It is also known to provide mirror illuminating lights for a lighted automotive vanity mirror by providing a lamp assembly supported by an overhead structural headliner member of a vehicle body at a location adjacent to a pivot axis for a visor, the visor mirror being mounted on one surface of the visor so that it is illuminated by the overhead lamps on the headliner.
Prior art illuminated vanity mirror constructions typically are relatively complex, and the on/off switches that control the lighting for the vanity mirror are subject to wear and failure after repeated use. Further, it is necessary in constructions of this type to use wires in the lighting circuit that pass from a vanity mirror bezel or from the sun visor body into the vanity door or lid, particularly in those prior art designs that employ a mechanical switch assembly activated by opening and closing the vanity door.